New Opportunities

These days I am spending a lot of time trying to find ways to make a business that will help keep me housed, fed and comfortable. I know how to do a lot of things, just finding the focus would be helpful.

Lately, the things that are taking up most of my time are: helping several people develop business plans; working on two other families genealogy, plus my own; creating some organization in my crafts/sewing/quilting supplies in order to make some items to sell.

Oh, and did I forget to say that I'm also working hard at developing new networks of friends around the country, no, around the world.

So what is the result? Lots of hours on the internet, many hours searching through my storage boxes, looking for things I thought I still had, yes, those boxes are a challenge.

Meanwhile, I have been able to take advantage of some access to fruits and vegetables that demands I either freeze, dehydrate or can the items I can't eat immediately. So I'm getting on that google search thingy and finding some new recipes for using lots of fresh produce, like 5 lbs of brussels sprouts! Having lost most of my recipe books and kitchen equipment recently, I am now down to making do and finding new ways of being frugal and practical at the same time.

I also took three classes on starting a community garden, helped a friend look for salvagable metals for his business, and so on.

It's all about frugal living, being oriented towards recycling, sustainable farming, permaculture, and everything else I can find to make do more with less.

Are there others out there like me, who worked hard for a living, and now find themselves single, out of work and struggling to make ends meet. I think so. I actually think there are thousands of us, doing the best we can and hoping for things to get better.

October 2011

Ya know, this is my birthday month, but that's not the reason I love October. I love the chill in the air, the smell of the trees as they turn, the fall colors on the plants, trees and people!
Lately, I have been noticing how many people are dressing for fall and seem to be making some colorful fashion statements at the same time.
Last Saturday I went to a community garden class that was held at Wild Willow Farms and Education Center.
The class was held outside. The farm is right next to the Tiajuana river and it was pretty chilly in the early morning as we began. It's a very interesting class and my plan includes gathering some other people and getting a garden going in east county. But mostly, I was fascinated watching as people got colder and colder and the sun finally peeped out of the mist. Each one moved very quietly over to the place where there was a patch of sun. Sitting on straw bales and shivvering. I came wrapped up in sweater, wide scarf, warm socks and heavy duty slacks. I was so confortable and happy to stay put and just enjoy the chill air.
There are many other things I love about October, like the various fruits and veggies that are so abundent in the gardens and markets these days.
I am a part of a food distribution program and the foods available this week were onions, potatoes, yellow wax beans, green tomatoes and strawberries. Yes! Strawberries in October. Grown locally. Yummy!
Ok, now I have to go get some out of the frig and gobble them down.
Signing off for now, catch ya later.
J

Learning how to be a better blogger

So I was reading some on-line links to blogs about genealogy this morning and realized that although I started a blog of my own a couple of years ago, I have been remiss in the actual blogging.
I have become blog deficient in these days of too much information and not enough time. However, I also realize that this may be one of the few ways I have of leaving any kind of trail for my descendents, who ever they may be.
I updated my interests on my Linkedin site and last night checked my twitter and tweeted. My facebook pages get some daily activity of some sort. With the decrease in actual letter writing of the paper and pen variety; where will they find out who we were, what we found interesting and what we want them to know for posterity?
Ok, so I am going to make a supreme effort to do a little blog, dance a little dance and get down tonight on the facebook pages besides my regular profile page. That old 70's song about "get down tonight" where did it come from? Hmmm, can't remember, but the tune is rattling around in my brain.
Let's see, recently I took a class on how to start a community garden and during the class I had several "ah ha" moments when I started listing the various gardening experiences I have had over the years. I have helped start several gardens in hospital and treatment settings, have encouraged friends, lovers, neighbors and mere acquaintances to get their garden on. Today, I have about 15 little red clay pots in front of my door with a variety of culinary herbs for cooking with. They're about a year old and actually doing pretty well when I remember to water them!
I think the whole idea of community gardening appeals because so many of my new friends and acquaintances here in this senior apt complex really want to garden and we have very little space and most of it doesn't get enough sunshine. Many of these folks are somewhat disabled, so leaning down or crawling around in the dirt might be challenging. I think we could do some table top gardening with some help from younger, more able bodied volunteers. My creative idea juices really got going on Saturday during the class and I sat down to a hamburger and kept on writing my ideas to empty my brain of all those pesty ideas.
One of the people at the class actually took my email and sent me an email yesterday about a more local garden being planned in El Cajon area, just a couple of miles away. That would work for me, since I have a car, but most of my compadres here at the complex don't drive and many are using wheel chairs, walkers or are very limited in their mobility.
I will get to the next two classes and learn some more about the details of making a garden in the community, but meanwhile, I need to spread the word here there and everywhere, that I'm looking for a plot of land that will be accessible as well as available to people of limited means.
Ok, Now I'm going to go check out my other possible places to post.
See you later.